I use tarot and oracle cards as tools for reflection and contemplation. Rather than divining the future, they are a way for me to look more deeply at the "now."
"The goal isn't to arrive, but to meander, to saunter, to make your life a holy wandering." ~ Rami Shapiro

Monday, December 31, 2018

Seeing Both Sides

From the Russian Lubok Tarot, Justice; from the Oracle of Alice's Leaves, 'Sweetleaf:'
          A set of scales, scrolls of pardon, and an executioner's cloak and ax are part of the ensemble of this Justice. Her veiled eyes are similar to a double-blind study in psychology where neither researchers nor subjects know who is in the control or experimental group in order not to skew results. It's so easy not to see our biases; negative stereotypes can obscure our mental ability to make balanced and fair decisions. Sweetleaf, or Symplocos paniculata, was named for the sweet taste of its leaves (horses will devour the shrub). It is also well known for the bright yellow dye made from the leaves of the shrub. Both the qualities of brightness and sweetness suggest that perhaps looking at a person or situation's good traits rather than just focusing on the bad might produce a more objective decision.
Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

2 comments:

  1. I wonder who helped Justice get to her place. All decked out and tools of the trade ready, not quite. There are those lost or discard scrolls. Maybe whoever is in red behind her throne, helped and is there to pick up behind her.

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    1. I'm thinking she set aside the pardon scrolls and executioner's cape and ax as a symbol of laying aside bias, then she veiled her own eyes.

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